Bluff Point State Park

Wonderfully maintained trail is wide, not a lot of rocks to trip on, good for beginners and very rewarding with a variety of interesting sites.
Geology buffs: The point is gorgeous and reminded me of someplace where a pilgrim might land. Lots of cool quartz lumps and strips running along majestic rock cliffs. Lots of little paths to explore the cliffs.
History buffs: Sunset rock along the loop is worth a look, and used to be the Sunday sermon spot back in ye olde days. An old foundation, well, and stone walls are remains of 1600s home! So cool.
A nice crowd on Saturday, racially diverse, some walking, some running, some bikes, some dogs.

What a wonderful place for a walk. Wide paths offer plenty of room for walking or riding a bike. The scenery is beautiful. It’s just a great place for some exercise out in nature. Toilets are available, and parking is free.

We had an atypically warm fall day a couple of weeks ago (in the mid-​70s), and I really wanted to spend the day outside. I wanted to enjoy the fall colors, but I also wanted to go to the beach (because who doesn’t love being able to say they were at the beach in October?). So I searched for places where I could both hike and enjoy the ocean, and found Bluff Point State Park. Win-​win!
The place is absolutely beautiful. It has wide, open paths for bikers and hikers to share, as well as offshoot paths that go into the woods if you’re looking for more of a hike than a walk. You have gorgeous views of the water while walking through the woods. There’s also an airport across the water, so you can see planes taking off. Across the water it’s a bit industrial, but between the water and the woods you can get your share of enjoying what nature has to offer.
The beach area that I stopped at had more rocky sand than fine sand, but it was still warm and actually pretty comfortable on your feet. There were a lot of shells washed ashore, but I’m guessing that was due to the time of year. The water was really clean — I actually did go swimming and you could see straight down to the bottom. It was cold, but immensely enjoyable after hiking! It’s nice to have the opportunity to take a dip!
The park is dog friendly, and there are places for picnics, as well as a couple of bathrooms. Lots of picture taking opportunities. This is a great place if you want the potential to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities.

I’m visiting family in the area and while they had to go to work this morning I decided to do a little exploring in Groton! Came across this place and although it was not what I expected, it was a nice place to relax, enjoy nature and reflect. There are multiple hiking/​nature trails full of vegetation surrounding the water. So beautiful! I went down to the water to dip my feet in and wish I had brought a swimsuit! The water is clear and just the right temperature! Saw a lot of locals walking here with their dogs (made me miss my dogs back at home!) if I lived in this area it would definitely be somewhere I would return quite often to escape and enjoy the view!

Love this place. It is easy to get to and has a lot to do. You can ride horses, walk dogs, dig for clams, lay on the beach or bike! Beautiful location but it is by the airport so you’ll see low flying airplanes.

This place is perfect to bring your furry friends. During the busier weekends the park rangers can be a little more strict but for the last 3 years we have been letting our rescues run around off leash along this rocky inlet. Those tacky looking swimming shoes with the rubber soles will be your best bet in protecting your feet! There is a path which runs through the woods and back to what I would consider a «real» beach where dogs are not allowed during nesting season for some of the local birds. It is definitely worth visiting if you are looking for something a little off the beaten path and unlike the other beaches on the area.

I feel like people who want to exercise outdoors generally fall into two categories: super fit and athletic, and casually exercising while enjoying themselves. Bluff Point is the perfect place for either group to exercise, as well as picnic, boat, fish, or splash, and all this with no park entrance fee!
Bluff Point is tucked into the southern most end of Groton right next to the airport, that I also didn’t know existed. There is ample parking as long as you watch out for the sizable divots in the gravel roads or bring your four wheeler.
There’s watercraft access for kayaks, small crafts, and rafts, and lots of places to fish. Warning does exist clearly marked that the water quality in this area is so poor that the physician general limits only one meal of fish from here every two months at the max due to the heavy metals and chemical deposits. Yikes. Pass.
The big draw to Bluff Point is the walk. I found the western route best to travel down to the point, for the best waterside views, and beach access. At the end of the bluff, the expansive ocean gently laps the rocks and the view is fantastic. We preferred the eastern route to circle back to the parking lot, and saw it the road less traveled, both very cool with filtered shade, and far less people/​strollers/​bicyclists to maneuver around.
This is the absolute perfect local spot in Groton’s backyard for outdoor exercising and fun-​having. They also have rotating vendors in the picnic area that sell hot dogs, lemonades, and ice creams from time to time in the summer months. I can only see this place getting more busy as the summer progresses, but this is a not to miss spot to savor new England’s great outdoors.

Love. Love. Love.
I have been going to Bluff Point ever since I adopted my first rescue pup about 8 years ago. During the summer I was looking for a «beach”/hike that the dogs could also enjoy. All it took was a quick google search and we found Bluff Point.
There are many reasons I love Bluff Point and they are as follows:
Huge parking lot
Multiple bathrooms — one at the beginning and in the middle of the trail
Variety of terrain
Beach access, even some areas that seem more «private» where you can play fetch with your dog.
Picnic tables
Whether you have dogs or not, you should definitely check Bluff Point out sometime during the summer. The walking trails are great and there is something to be said about being by the shore…

A great place to go walking/​hiking/​fishing/​swimming. Very clean & lots of people walking their dogs, going jogging, pushing strollers, etc. it’s not a short walk, so be prepared to carry a water bottle with you & plan the bathroom breaks accordingly. (Luckily, there are clean «out» houses along the way!). So many beautiful scenes to be taken in & excellent for photo opps. The picnic area is first stop out of the parking area, so great for little ones. & you are able to watch planes come & go from the Groton/​New London airport! Very cool place.

This wasn’t a bad little hike. I don’t know if I’ll really call it a hike, more like a walk. Great for your little furry friends.

I grew up in the area but for some reason no one ever really talked about this place.
I came here with family to jog in the evening and I would definitely call it a hidden gem. The trail is wide enough to allow running in groups and passing, and it provides variety in exercise with short hills, sandy patches, and grassy patches in addition to the dirt trail. It’s not too long, but not too short — 3 – 4 miles long.
The trail is actually a loop and at the tip of the loop you find a couple beach areas. The sunsets from there pretty amazing :)

This is hands down my favorite local park in any season. Part beach, part woods, each time you come here this magical place looks, feels, and smells different. Even if the parking lot looks crowded don’t worry, the space is so big that it never feels crowded once you are out walking/​running/​biking/​horseback riding/​dog walking/​kayaking/​beaching/​fishing… The options are almost endless.

This is a beautiful place to visit if you are looking for an easy, leisurely, scenic stroll. As an avid hiker– I would find another place to visit as the main trail is just a rocky path that doesn’t go into the woods (think airline-​type trail), although some of the secondary trails do. HOWEVER– if you are an avid birder, such as myself, then this is one of the best places to visit! All types of birds can be found here from warblers to raptors to ducks, geese and even humming birds! This is one of the best places in CT to catch migrating birds (esp. warblers at first light). And if you are an outdoor runner, walker, have children or are bringing the pup to play– this is your spot. The trail is very flat and gravel with not much thinking involved. I do love it here and it’s worth the visit! The entire loop is around 4 miles I believe. Happy trails!

Beautiful park! Love coming here to take a walk or run. Great bike paths and lots of people walking their dogs.
Pretty place to view the water too!
Really easy to find (signs) and lots of parking.
Super bonus points: its free! :D

I only came to Bluff Point to walk the trail, which is a rocky path but a nice, scenic walk to get in some exercise. There are a few unexpected turns off the main path with benches and overlook points which are really nice. The unexpected turns feel safe, too, I never felt too far from the main path (unfortunately, that’s typically a concern for women). There is a large BBQ area by the trail that I imagine most people come for. A nice way to get in some outdoor activity in the New London/​Groton area.

This place a little of everything. You can bike, run, hike, swim, kayak, or just take in the beautiful sights.
While the road in and the parking lot are a little rough, it’s nothing that slowing down and watching out for holes can’t fix.
There are bathrooms both at the parking lot and at the beach, something that I wasn’t expecting. and while the bathroom was a little on the smelly side, it was cleaner than I thought it would be, and I appreciated having it there as an option because it gave us an opportunity to spend more time checking out the park.
We walked all the way along the beach to the point and with our water shoes (thanks for the tip fellow Unilocalers) were able to cross the short shallow pass to the island abutting the beach. The water was crisp, refreshing, and surprisingly not salty. After reading one of the signs about the history and terrain of the park, we assumed that the lack of salt was because of the river that flowed nearby. This is something that made the park even cooler.
It was pretty easy to climb over the rocks along the shore and look out on the sailboats and Fisher Island, which is actually in NY. How cool it is to be in CT near RI and be able to see NY in the distance.
Overall, I had a wonderful day at Bluff Point and I can’t wait to come back and check out some of the side trails that I bypassed this time.

We really like this beach. It’s a little bit of a walk, but the path is wide and fairly level. Bicycles and strollers are able to manage with no difficulty. The beach itself is never crowded. There is a scenic view of the Long Island Sound and the water is very clean. I would recommend wearing water shoes because it’s somewhat rocky and hard on the feet.

We accidentally stumbled upon this park after passing up the known popular State Beach/​Parks of Hammonassett and Rocky Neck. Those are the type that crowds go to every weekend to lay on the sand, swim in salt water, or camp in the wooded areas, have acres of parking for a substantial fee.
We saw this park on a map and since it is on a small peninsula, surrounded by water, train tracks and across from a small recreational airport, we did not expect much. We were quite surprised to see a wonderful wooded hilly area with a cute little fishing beach, kayakers on the water and a mountain bike event going on. The New England Mountain Bike Association had sponsor demo tents and maps for riding the fire roads and single track through the whole park, geared for serious adult riders as well as small children. It looked like so much fun. There were about 100 cars in the dirt parking lot, nearly all with bike racks, empty, still full or being unloaded. Yet as we wandered around the park, it did not appear crowded at all.
Everyone was so nice and having a great time. If I had appropriate clothes with me, I might have even been able to ride a demo bike, though I did not see any quite small enough. But, oh, did I wish I had my little Gary Fisher Tassajara with me.

Here is a great place to picnic, relax by the water, watch the planes land, hike, fish…
Use you GPS to get there. It help. Travel down under the bridge to the dirt road and it will open up to the parking free area.
Follow the path on the right side along the water to get to the beach or the rocky point. About a good 30 – 40 min walk.
Beach will show up on right side.
Not the greatest sand, more so shells and small stones and pebbles, so have shoes or flip flops.
Dogs have to be on leash between April and August because of birds that lay eggs and cannot be disrupted.
Very nice for quit, secluded area where no one bothers you.
Had a great time and look toward to returning especially since we could bring the dogs!

What a gem of a state park on the Connecticut shore: Dawn land as it was before being developed. A peninsula reaching out to Long Island Sound and the ocean. Great for about 3 miles of walking with or without a dog. A crane took off from the lime green grass. I took a dip in the water on the long arm of sand. We got off the paths on the bluff and explored the jagged coast. Glacial remnants whispered the old story of change. Tidal pools swirled around the boulders. I lay down on an ancient slab and listened to the water: in and out.